pathetic

adjective

pə-ˈthe-tik How to pronounce pathetic (audio)
Definition of patheticnext
1
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity the plight of the homeless family was quite pathetic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness a pathetic story that made her cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in miserable
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy) the crowd mercilessly booed the boxer's pathetic performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter the pundit's latest book is another pathetic jumble of factual errors, half-baked political views, and baseless accusations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pathetic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of pathetic are affecting, impressive, moving, poignant, and touching. While all these words mean "having the power to produce deep emotion," pathetic implies moving to pity or sometimes contempt.

pathetic attempts to justify misconduct

How are the words affecting and moving related as synonyms of pathetic?

Affecting is close to moving but most often suggests pathos.

an affecting deathbed reunion

When can impressive be used instead of pathetic?

In some situations, the words impressive and pathetic are roughly equivalent. However, impressive implies compelling attention, admiration, wonder, or conviction.

an impressive list of achievements

When is moving a more appropriate choice than pathetic?

The synonyms moving and pathetic are sometimes interchangeable, but moving may apply to any strong emotional effect including thrilling, agitating, saddening, or calling forth pity or sympathy.

a moving appeal for contributions

When could poignant be used to replace pathetic?

While in some cases nearly identical to pathetic, poignant applies to what keenly or sharply affects one's sensitivities.

a poignant documentary on the homeless

Where would touching be a reasonable alternative to pathetic?

Although the words touching and pathetic have much in common, touching implies arousing tenderness or compassion.

the touching innocence in a child's eyes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pathetic In a bravura theatrical performance, Hawke makes the genius truly pathetic. — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025 Blonsky imbues the lead character of Tracy Turnblad, who could be a pathetic figure in lesser hands, with enough vitality to make the whole film feel fresh, even close to two decades after its release. — Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025 Also the nonstop sucking up to UNC (and ACC) is a bit pathetic, just like their season. — Jim Root, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025 His is a kind of pathetic that inspires neither scorn nor pity, but a universal, sorrowful connection — his yearning for a different face is a consideration of what makes a human being legible and thus able to be understood, known, even loved. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pathetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pathetic
  1. pitiful
  2. sad
  3. miserable
  4. ridiculous
  5. poor
  6. depressing
  7. lame
  8. absurd
Adjective
  • But the modern Democratic Party, rudderless and confused and reeling from a pitiful collective performance during Tuesday evening's presidential joint address to Congress, now confronts a fork in the road that's no joke.
    — Newsweek, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
  • My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now.
    — Ryan Morik, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • Family members and two of his lawyers say he was diagnosed with severe PTSD, a sad and rapid fall that ended in another explosion of violence.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The receptivity of people to demagoguery is an old, sad story, analyzed at least as far back as the Greeks.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • And the fact that some people need to live miserable lives in order for other people to live these absolutely luxurious lives.
    — Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Down the road, Reus is taking a lot of the heat for the LA Galaxy’s miserable start to the season, having failed so far to make up for the injury absence of Riqui Puig in central midfield.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of miserable
Adjective
  • Brendan Gallagher scored a goal in that game on the power play, taking a ridiculous feed from Andrei Markov in the slot and converting, blowing the roof off the building.
    — Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Bam Adebayo only taking seven shots each in the last two games is ridiculous.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of ridiculous
Adjective
  • But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.
    — Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The Heat holds a poor 9-24 record this season in games against teams currently with a winning record.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Still, overall traffic expectations in Meridian are basically pretty depressing.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Depending on your point of view, either the depressing vibes outweigh the gorgeous animation or the gorgeous animation outweighs the depressing vibes.
    — Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    — Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    — Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Undermining tax collections and the IRS goes hand in glove with Trump’s absurd belief that the U.S. federal government can or should try to fund itself primarily via tariffs.
    — New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The more absurd or humorous examples, like the animation of Irving that plays at his funeral, can also be disconcerting.
    — Abigail Lee, Variety, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of absurd

Browse Nearby Words

pathetic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pathetic. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on pathetic

Nglish: Translation of pathetic for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All